The recent endeavors of Shaquille O’Neal caught the NBA world by surprise. The 4x champion dug up an old footage of Andrew Tate challenging Jake Paul before endorsing it publicly. While the instance aided in the resurfacing of two prominent social media personalities, it also highlighted Diesel’s interests.
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The situation circled Paul’s rise as a professional boxer in 2020. After winning a handful of fights, the internet celebrity started challenging several established professionals in the industry. The seemingly disrespectful actions enraged Tate as he openly called out Paul. He uploaded a video to his now-deleted YouTube channel to express his thoughts while proposing the offer.
An Instagram account named Wisdom of Wudan has recently uploaded a portion of the clip, resurfacing the old dynamics. In the video, Tate declared, “Jake Paul, it’s clear to me you are desperate for a reality check. I don’t have $50 million to bet with you, but I do have $3 million to bet with you…You put three, I put three. Winner takes all”.
Revisiting the infamous challenge certainly excited Shaq. Hence, the sports analyst shared the post from his Instagram story, displaying his alignment with Tate’s statement.
As a former kickboxing champion, Tate intended to make Paul understand the impact of the difference in skill set and experience level on the outcome. As a fan of the combat sport, Shaq seemingly agreed with the thought process of the 37-year-old. Consequently, he publicly endorsed the video to let his followers know of the reality of boxing.
This unanticipated persona of Shaquille O’Neal has come to the limelight in the past
As a fan of boxing, the Big Aristotle has rarely decided to hide his inclination toward the sport. In June last year, he promoted a celebrity boxing match between Robert Wilmote aka NDO CHAMP, and Roy Jones Jr. on his Instagram. With the caption, “It’s goin down who u got @ndo_champ or @royjonesjrofficial,” he even created hype for the clash.
His involvement with the sport has led to friendships with the legends of the game. One such instance occurred seven years back when both Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson appeared on his DJ set Rehab Beach Club. Tyson, in particular, displayed a close bond with the NBA icon as they became the center of attraction in Las Vegas.
Thus, Shaq’s recent endeavors may have served as an extension of his camaraderie with the Iron Mike. With Paul continuously calling out Tyson to fight with him, Tate’s statement remains justified to this day. Therefore, Diesel merely seized the opportunity as it presented itself online.
